Such cushions may, for instance, be manufactured from tubular film material which is divided into chambers by means of cross sealing seams. These chambers are filled with air or another gas or gas mixture and then closed, for instance by sealing. After this, the cushions are separated from one another by the piece or by string, by breaking weakening lines provided in the film material. The separated cushions may, for instance, be used as filling and/or protective material in packagings.
It is important that the separation of the cushions takes place carefully, in order to prevent them from becoming damaged or springing a leak. In practice, the tearing off is therefore often done manually. This is labor-intensive and therefore undesirable. Further, it is known to separate the cushions mechanically. Here, the edge of the film material is, on both sides of a weakening line to be broken, clamped between two clamping elements, which are then moved apart. Thereby, the weakening line is broken. A drawback of this known apparatus is that the clamping elements need to carry out a relatively complicated movement, in which they are first displaced in the direction of the film material, substantially at right angles to a conveying direction of this film material, are then moved apart, parallel to this conveying direction, and are finally withdrawn again, substantially at right angles to the conveying direction. This requires complex drive means taking up relatively much space.